Internships and Work Placements

Juan Paolo Aliño

Foreign University International School Manila Philippines - Juan Paolo Aliño



I was able to join Unilever because my Dad knew a good friend of his during his time there. It was his secretary, who later assumed his old position after a while. So I worked under her. I went through the process of sending in my resume, and was interviewed by the big boss. 

I told them about my requirements for the internship, stating that it was a requirement of my school and was supposed to work for 300 hours. I later got the job and was tasked to do a project of theirs, that they’ve wanted to accomplish for a while. It was the training administration manual, which documents all administrative processes for conducting a regional training program. My task was to create the body of the manual, with all the processes and diagrams in it. 

I was the leader for the manual, and had a couple of meetings for the project. The whole department was assigned to assist me in the manual, where I would interview them and ask about their role and how the process goes in their area. I used Google’s Google Docs software where the entire body of the manual was uploaded online, and can be freely edited by our team. I also created a spread sheet with software online, in which I would be able to have a checklist of tasks that needed to be edited and reviewed.

Other than the manual, I also assisted my supervisor in tasks that were in her field. Examples include:

• Updating the list of candidates for the regional training program.

• Creating a calendar countdown for objectives.

• Updating information of the list countries that want to apply for the program.

• Calculating budget of the program trainers from abroad.

I also had a lot of fun bonding with my co-workers and boss. I was invited to join in their week long business outing in Ilocos with their families. I grew close with them and understood who they were outside of work. I learned that employees are not very different from you, and aren’t just robots that help you in your job. I learned not to be too afraid of them, and understand that they have their own lives like you.

Overall, I had a very enjoyable time at Unilever. I was able to finish the project, make connections from work, and gained some work experience. I feel I have some understanding of work life and can take on more difficult jobs in the future, with more confidence.